Muscle/Strength Loss as We Age

[eytonxav]

It's a fact of life, we lose muscle mass and strength as we age. This article provides some interesting info on the subject and some suggestions for mitigating such losses.
https://sci-fit.net/anabolic-resist...jidkX43HBTsaGdDmECSPVZHgZ7uAriE-LDGDWh8wlcqCA

 

[Music Lover]

Weight training or resistance exercise is important, more so as we age. Not only for increased muscle and bone density but also for quality of life. 20 minutes a day of correct training is worth its weight in gold and is one of the best investments you can make.

 

[Gumby]

Thanks for posting this. I certainly have noticed that I am weaker than I once was, and I'd like to do what I can to prevent it from getting worse..

 

[MRG]

Thanks for posting. Been lifting for a couple years. It got much easier when I saw a urologist who's treating my low-T. I've actually seen some gains over the last 6 months. Some are mild, like 20%, others that I really focused on, dips and pullups, are more dramatic - 100%! Perhaps some is technique.

 

[imoldernu]

the main article was in a language I don't understand, but this quote caught my eye:

Do strength training with high intensities and volumes

I'd really like to be around when the author gets into his 80's or 90's.

Is my half hour morning walk "high intensity"?

 

[misshathaway]

Aside from prevention, there is another practical reason for using resistance machines, and in my case, swimming. I am able to lift and move heavier things than I could when I was in my twenties and sitting at a desk all day. I started swimming and resistance machines for other reasons - heart health and bone health, but not having to get outside help for every little household or yard task is a nice benefit.

 

[MRG]

the main article was in a language I don't understand, but this quote caught my eye:



I'd really like to be around when the author gets into his 80's or 90's.

Is my half hour morning walk "high intensity"?

I think the author is attempting to suggest to lift lighter weights and do more repetitions?

I think there's a sliding scale of what's high intensity as we age along with our general health.

Our gym is mainly folks who are retired, most folks I see are from 50-80s, from all backgrounds. Some of these folks spent their lives being fit, one gentleman was a college football coach. He's pushing 80 and still does unassisted dips, not many but he still pushes his entire body weight for a few reps. I watched a 61 yo, bench press 450 pounds the other week, he only did one rep.[emoji12] There's many others of all ages who are just trying to keep their limited mobility.

Half an hour walk can certainly be high intensity. It's obviously a lot higher than those who don't or can't walk it.

 

[eytonxav]

the main article was in a language I don't understand, but this quote caught my eye:



I'd really like to be around when the author gets into his 80's or 90's.

Is my half hour morning walk "high intensity"?

I believe high intensity and volumes refers to lifting lighter weights while performing reps to the point of muscle exhaustion.

Heck, walking is a good form of exercise regardless of ones age.

 

[Which Roger]

The sweet spot I've found is to pick a weight where I fail on about the 15th rep. When I was younger, it was more like 8-10 reps. But the higher reps + lighter weights mean less stress on the joints.

 

[Oz investor]

am on 40 mg of Rosuvastatin daily , i have a wave of dizziness after 5 or 6 steps .... and rehab might start in 2022 ( or later )


( and was already thin ) there might not be a lot of muscle left to build on

 

[Amethyst]

It's all relative. Do a higher intensity than other 80's or 90's people do.

the main article was in a language I don't understand, but this quote caught my eye:



I'd really like to be around when the author gets into his 80's or 90's.

Is my half hour morning walk "high intensity"?

 

[Amethyst]

A trainer friend told me that the hardest thing for most people is consistency. They will work like mad to get in shape, and then sort of get bored with it. Or they take off for vacation, and then it feels too hard to get back where they were. To me, it would feel like saving a bunch of money and then throwing it away on the street.

 

[Walt34]

A trainer friend told me that the hardest thing for most people is consistency. They will work like mad to get in shape, and then sort of get bored with it. Or they take off for vacation, and then it feels too hard to get back where they were.

And the older you get the faster the atrophy sets in. At 30, if I took a week off exercising I could restart at the same level of intensity. I might have a little muscle soreness but I could do it.

Not the case at all at 68. I'll have to set the treadmill to a slower pace, lighten the weights, slow down the pace a bit until I catch up. And that takes a lot longer than it used to too.

Now I'm afraid to stop going to the gym for fear of what will happen if I do.

 

[zinger1457]

McGuff "Body By Science" is a big proponent of high intensity weight training for the elderly. His method of high intensity training is to select a weight that will bring you to total muscle fatigue for that exercise in ~90 seconds. It takes a relatively heavy weight (maybe 80% of max) to achieve that. Each rep should be done really slow, ~7-10 seconds in each direction, the slower the better. No need to count reps, it's all time based, the key is achieving muscle fatigue for that exercise.

 

[Bamaman]

We have a relative that's been swimming a mile every morning forever. She finally stopped when she started spending more time at her kids' homes out of town--at age 93.

It's something to do with her East German disposition. She's never accepted any limits in life.

 

[Aerides]

I have a couple of body bars, one at easy weight, just to keep up muscle memory, and one at a weight that fatigues me at 2 or 3 sets of most things (squats, deadlifts, etc.)

If I'm feeling lazy, I can always do a routine with the light bar, vs. nothing at all, but I try to do at least 3-4 sessions each week with the heavy bar. The light bar keeps me from bailing completely on a day when I just don't feel like it.

It doesn't take hours, just 10-15 minutes a day can make a huge difference after about 6-8 weeks. Not to where someone is gonna go "whoa dude you lifting?" but to where you personally feel your body is stronger, and I find that's a great incentive to keep it up.

 

[Moemg]

My Sister who is 75 next month just ran her first 5K and came in first in her age group .I am so happy for her .

 

[MRG]

And the older you get the faster the atrophy sets in. At 30, if I took a week off exercising I could restart at the same level of intensity. I might have a little muscle soreness but I could do it.

Not the case at all at 68. I'll have to set the treadmill to a slower pace, lighten the weights, slow down the pace a bit until I catch up. And that takes a lot longer than it used to too.

Now I'm afraid to stop going to the gym for fear of what will happen if I do.

+1 @61

Our gym closes every year for a week. Happened last week for this year. What a joker life is. Guess what happened when we went back?

I'd had a few exercises I'd just achieved certain levels at...... that was gone. Taken a week and a day this year to get back, almost. Next year? I'm guessing it's harder, if I'm lucky. [emoji23]

 

[Ronstar]

I’ve taken 3 months off of all exercise while I’m remodeling the house. Starting back up is going to be brutal. Probably should schedule some chiropractor visits.

 

[Music Lover]

I'm 56 and my lifting is a few simple compound exercises...deadlifts, squats, chin-ups, and bench or dumbbell press. Those 4 basic exercises will hit every single muscle in your body. Sometimes to mix it up I'll do Farmer's Walk which is walking with a pair of dumbbells, or carrying them up and down the stairs a few times.

I used to lift heavier when I was younger...sets of 6-8 reps and sometimes sets of 3-5 reps. Those days are behind me now and my rep range has increased to around 10 reps. I used to train to failure, now it's "close" to failure...I still want to put in the effort but am no longer concerned about maximum strength.

 

[eytonxav]

Now I'm afraid to stop going to the gym for fear of what will happen if I do.

While persistence and perseverance are important, taking a week off from lifting every 2-3 months is a good practice. That week off helps you recover and may also be a good time to change up your workout regime when you return.

 

[H2ODude]

I’ve taken 3 months off of all exercise while I’m remodeling the house. Starting back up is going to be brutal. Probably should schedule some chiropractor visits.

This. I fairly regularly mountain bike or hike, various aerobic outdoor stuff. This summer I spent 2-1/2 months traveling to son's house prepping it for his repatriation after some rather destructive tenants, as well as just updating. Tiling, replaced doors, worked on floors, etc. 5 hours a day of that but didn't do any of my usual outdoors stuff. Plus, being tired at night indulged in ice cream and other treats. This week went on first bike ride in the woods and oh. my. God. Was whipped totally even though average speed was about 20% less. As we age deterioration like this can be dramatic. Use it or lose it folks.

 

[sengsational]

There's a thread that covers a supplement called HMB which has shown to increase muscle mass, but not increase strength. My bottom line is that there are no short cuts...so find a set of things you're willing to do 'forever' and keep doing them. It's a lot like eating... don't adopt a 'diet' unless you plan to eat that way 'forever'.



http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/strength-training-and-hmb-94067.html?highlight=hmb

 

[RAE]

It doesn't take hours, just 10-15 minutes a day can make a huge difference after about 6-8 weeks. Not to where someone is gonna go "whoa dude you lifting?" but to where you personally feel your body is stronger, and I find that's a great incentive to keep it up.

+1, this is very true. Even 5 minutes a day (on days where you just don't feel like doing your regular workout) can help quite a bit. I have a chin-up bar, and some days I just do the chin-up part of my routine, which is generally about 14 chin-ups before I reach near-failure. Or, I can do squats for the same amount of time on a different day, to work different muscle groups. It all helps.

 

[MRG]

This. I fairly regularly mountain bike or hike, various aerobic outdoor stuff. This summer I spent 2-1/2 months traveling to son's house prepping it for his repatriation after some rather destructive tenants, as well as just updating. Tiling, replaced doors, worked on floors, etc. 5 hours a day of that but didn't do any of my usual outdoors stuff. Plus, being tired at night indulged in ice cream and other treats. This week went on first bike ride in the woods and oh. my. God. Was whipped totally even though average speed was about 20% less. As we age deterioration like this can be dramatic. Use it or lose it folks.

We took 6 months off weights when we moved. The first day back I did my old routine. I didn't get back for a week! Slowed down.